Oroville >> The City Council remains in disagreement over how best to proceed in its relationship with the state Department of Water Resources following the Oroville Dam crisis.

The council Tuesday postponed for the second time a letter of concerns following the spillway collapse and mass evacuation to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, as several councilors wished to make more amendments to it.

Councilors Art Hatley and Scott Thomson were absent.

Vice Mayor Janet Goodson suggested including a request to delay relicensing of the dam under the management of DWR, echoing a letter just released from Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale. All councilors present said they wished to delay the relicensing, at least until the independent forensic team investigating what caused the spillway to collapse releases its final report this fall.

“Let’s not make haste, but proceed with caution,” Goodson said.

Mayor Linda Dahlmeier was the most vocal about going forward with the relicensing as soon as possible following release of the forensic report. She said Oroville would be the only community that would suffer if the license were not to be issued.

“When that license gets issued, that starts the clock on what DWR has to provide for this community, and that is $1 billion in recreation and environmental upgrades to this community,” Dahlmeier said. “If we ask for a delay, this will be put off.”

Councilor Linda Draper said improvements to levees, adding another major gate to deal with heavier flows, and forming a local oversight committee should be considerations in the letter.

Councilor Jack Berry said the letter should “not be as pleasant” and should include some demands – as opposed to requests – of the city.

Several residents spoke on the matter. Resident Bill Bynum urged the voting members to end dealings with DWR altogether, referencing the ignored concerns about the safety of the emergency spillway raised by local groups in 2005.

City attorney Scott Huber said the city filed a claim last week with the state for about $1 million. That includes losses immediately following the spillway incident and ongoing costs, like damage to city roads, he said after the meeting. Other downstream communities recently filed claims as well, including Yuba City, Marysville, Live Oak and Yuba and Sutter counties, as reported by the Appeal-Democrat.

“At every opportunity we have, we’re raising the safety of the dam as an issue,” Huber said.

As to why the city sees the state as liable to cover the costs, the city says in its claim, the state and DWR “failed to properly construct, inspect, repair, operate, and manage the facilities.”

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Regular agenda items were approved by all council members present, including the final payment for the roundabout construction on Table Mountain Boulevard and Nelson Avenue and two foreclosures of city-owned properties.

The 2017-2018 fiscal year “working” budget passed without comment from councilors or members of the public. Presented to the council several times before, no changes were made as it went from preliminary to final stages. It will now be reviewed quarterly.

Council members also agreed to sign a letter drafted by the Oroville Chamber of Commerce as individuals, in support of delaying the relicensing process, at the request of CEO Sandy Linville.